In the Headlines

SELECTED NEWS COVERAGE:
May 2013

NBCNews.com (May 23)

What distinguishes somebody with high intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, besides the annoying habit of finding a way to inject that fact into almost any conversation? According to a new study from researchers at the University of Rochester, it could be their ability to ignore sensory information, specifically irrelevant information we take in with our eyes.

UPI (May 3)

Scientists at the University of Rochester in New York say a study with a troupe of zoo baboons indicates number abilities are shared by humans and their primate cousins. “The human capacity for complex symbolic math is clearly unique to our species,” brain and cognitive sciences Professor Jessica Cantlon said. “But where did this numeric prowess come from?”

CBS News (May 2)

During the 11-year period studied, suicide went from the eighth leading cause of death among middle-aged Americans to the fourth, behind cancer, heart disease and accidents. “Some of us think we’re facing an upsurge as this generation moves into later life,” said Dr. Eric Caine, a suicide researcher at the University of Rochester.

Daily Mail (May 9)

Children with autism see simple movement twice as quickly as other children their age, according to a new study. “Abnormalities in how a person sees or hears can have a profound effect on social communication,” says Duje Tadin, one of the lead authors on the study.

The Scientist (May 1)

Cognitive neuroscientist Jessica Cantlon invited 27 children to come to her lab at the University of Rochester in upstate New York to watch a 20-minute segment of Sesame Street, with clips on math, reading, life, and more. The only catch was that the children, aged 4 to 11 years, had to watch this show inside of a big “space ship” – an MRI scanner – and they had to hold still.

Huffington Post (May 10)

According to the University of Rochester’s Christine Tompkins, “broken heart syndrome,” or acute heart failure triggered by stress. Its symptoms include chest pain and life-threatening arrhythmias, but it can be treated and reversed.